cheykoop@mavs.coloradomesa.edu

This year CMU will raise tuition 4.92 percent and for the second year in a row it will be the lowest raise in the state.

Over the last four years, Adams State College increased tuition a total of 42 percent. Metro State University recently approved a 13 percent increase and Colorado State University will bump up their cost by 9 percent.

“We are extremely sensitive about the real cost of higher education and making sure families in our region and state can afford it,” President Tim Foster said on the CMU website.

CMU is able to keep education costs down for a number of reasons including its low utilities bills. Being energy efficient has paid off.

“Over the last seven or eight years, our administration focused on class savings and efficiencies,” Dana Nunn, Director of Media Relations said.

She explained that the use of Ground Source Heat Exchange has also made this possible. There is no natural gas in the Academic Classroom Building and it is known as the most energy efficient commercial building on the Western Slope.

Additionally, CMU uses careful budgeting and offers only the most relevant and demanded programs.

It is impossible to avoid costs altogether. Foster explained that keeping increases down while investing resources in the classroom is not easy. The school aims to provide an affordable education while keeping it quality schooling.

“We have top notch faculty who are dedicated to teaching,” Nunn said, “They need tools and current technology and those things cost money.”

CMU’s rapid enrollment boost could come from this financial factor. Most students consider affordability when choosing a school and the University’s conservative budgeting and efficiency make it a top option.